The purpose of the 2nd World Parkinson Congress (WPC 2010) is to address a need for worldwide dialogue to address the multifaceted problems of PD and propose solutions including new approaches to research and better treatment options for people with PD. The WPC 2010, to be held from September 28 - October 1, 2010 in Glasgow, Scotland is the only international meeting in the field of Parkinson's disease (PD) responding to a need to bring the whole PD community together for high-level scientific and lay sessions. Delegates at the meeting will represent neuroscientists, physicians, people with PD, caregivers, nurses, allied health professionals, government representatives, and other members of the advocacy community from more than 50 countries. The four-day program highlights current work being done to advance the science of PD and to improve care for people living with the disease. Exposing researchers from the US to the scientific advancements made in other parts of the world will help them explore new ideas and build collaborations they might otherwise not build. Broad support and involvement from the PD community will allow the WPC to create a venue for cross pollination of the community to build collaborations and interactions between health professionals, researchers, and patients who might not otherwise meet. These interactions will spur innovative research, identify solutions to unmet needs and advance therapies for people with PD. Thirty-eight, of a total of 75 committee members, including people living with PD, designed an elaborate program to raise awareness among scientists and clinicians about unique aspects of PD to deepen their commitment to PD research and possibly foster research on less studied aspects of PD. At the same time, the program is expected to expose patients and caregivers to research and ideally increase willingness and interest in participating in clinical trials, which is a major challenge for researchers today. Speakers are being invited from all areas of the PD community with sessions formatted in a variety of ways to maximize the learning potential and dialogue, including plenaries with up to 1,000 delegates, parallel sessions with 200 - 550 delegates and more intimate workshops, of around 100 delegates. The morning plenaries are designed around a theme and used as a meeting ground for all attendees to start each day with a topic that sets the stage for following sessions and stimulates further discussion later in the day. Parallel sessions and workshops will cover 1) new developments in science, 2) concepts on clinical care, and 3) issues related to quality of life;providing day-long discussions to hold the diverse interest of scientists, clinicians, and patients. There will be both Scientific and Living with Parkinson's posters each day of the Congress that were reviewed and accepted by the Program Committee. This broad range of posters sessions is designed to maximize interaction among researchers, clinicians, patients, and careers. The three most outstanding posters each day will be presented in a 'Hot Topics'session at the beginning of each day. Poster tours will be held paying keen attention to the most promising work in the field and to increase dialogue and collaboration between the stakeholders in the PD community. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The purpose of the 2nd World Parkinson Congress is to create a worldwide dialogue to discuss the multifaceted problems of PD, propose solutions including new approaches to research, build innovative collaborations, and create better treatment options for people with PD. It is the only meeting in the field of Parkinson's disease (PD) that addresses a need to bring the whole PD community together for high-level scientific sessions and discussions on current work being done to advance science, improve care for people with PD and help sensitize researchers to the needs of people with PD and conversely help patients understand the challenges researchers and health professionals face when studying PD. Uniquely, the delegates at the meeting represent neuroscientists, physicians, people with PD, caregivers, nurses, allied health professionals, government representatives, and other members of the advocacy community.